Visions
by Live. Out. Loud
Summary: When Hinata's family moves to Konoha she hopes that it will give her the new start that she needs after almost exposing her family as witches. Soon she meets Sasuke, dark and mysterious. But then students are being murdered. Who did it? Time is short.
1. Chapter 1

Visions

Chapter One

The world blurred past the car window in a whirlwind of colors. Pine green, cerulean blue, blossom pink, they were all there, blending together in a beautiful swirling mass. Hinata was vaguely reminded of her jumbled box of pastels, the one tucked safely in her backpack which was now sitting on her lap.

Hinata sighed and rested her cheek in her hand, letting her eyelids slowly slide closed. It was still fairly early in the morning and Hinata hadn't been able to sleep on the plane. Whether it had been the crying children, the whirring engine or her bundle of nerves and anxiety that had kept her awake, she couldn't be sure. But now, sitting in the speeding car, she couldn't resist the strong pull of sleep, especially when she was surrounded by such soothing colors.

Even when she closed her eyes she could see them, dancing under her eyelids, painting a picture, a lullaby fading to black.

It seemed she had only just touched the swelling blackness when a large hand fell on her shoulder, shaking gently. "Hinata…Hinata, wake up. We're here."

Hinata opened her eyes a crack. How long had she been asleep? Judging by how stiff her body felt and how much higher the sun was, she guessed it had been some time. _But still not enough, _she thought groggily.

She turned from her slumped, sideways position in her seat to see her older cousin, Neji looking back at her from the driver's seat, his hand still resting on her shoulder. His face was soft as he watched her open her eyes, concerned almost, for whatever reason she couldn't figure out. She craned her neck back, expecting to see her younger sister, Hanabi still in the seat beside her, but it was empty.

"Hinata, did you hear me?" Neji gave her another quick shake, chasing away some of the fog that had settled in Hinata's brain. "I said we're here."

"Yeah, I heard you." Hinata rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. As a second thought, she quickly swiped her hand over her mouth. And sure enough there was a dab of drool in the corner of her mouth. Of course.

"Come on," Neji turned back around and opened the car door. "Hanabi's already checking the place out. Better hurry before she takes the best room."

Hinata grabbed her backpack and stumbled out of the car. It felt _so _good to stretch her aching muscles. And the warm sun made it feel even better. Throwing her backpack over her shoulder, she looked up to gaze at her new house.

The first thing she noticed was the size. It was…big. At least bigger then their last house had been. Then she looked at the house itself. It looked homey, with wood paneling, a large porch complete with a swinging bench, and bright yellow paint, trimmed in navy blue. It was the kind of house a nice, normal family or a sweet elderly grandmother would live in.

But now Hinata's family was going to live there, and they were neither elderly grandmothers nor a normal family.

Neji came up the walkway behind Hinata and stood beside her, setting down the large suitcase in his hands. "Are you sure you're ok?" he asked.

"Yes, I'm fine," Hinata smiled, repressing the urge to wrap her hands around her cousin's throat. He needed to spend less time worrying about her mental well-being and more time trying to get everyone settled.

Still, Neji stood there, watching her. "I'm just worried about you." He said finally. "I don't want you to think that us moving was your fault. It was an accident."

He had struck a nerve. Hinata's smile wavered for a second before she was able to get it back. But now it was warier than before. She placed a hand on his arm. "Thank you Neji, I appreciate it." _I really do, _she thought. "But we'd better get these bags inside." She grabbed the suitcase Neji had been carrying and started hauling it up to the house before he could say anything more. She didn't want to talk about what had happened and was relieved when he didn't try to pursue the topic.

The front door was wide open when Hinata dragged the suitcase up the porch steps. "Hanabi, you left the door open!" Hinata yelled up the stairs. She was answered by several thumps and feet thudding across the floor.

Neji came in behind her with the last two suitcases, dropping them off at the foot of the stairs. Hinata left her case next to the others and went to close the door. "That should be it. The moving truck should be here later this afternoon, so we have some time to kill 'till then."

Just above their heads, Hanabi appeared, leaning over the second floor railing to call down to them. "I call this room!" She pointed to an open doorway just down the hall behind her.

"Wait a minute." Neji raced up the stairs and into the room Hanabi had just run into. "No way!" he cried, "That's the biggest room."

"Well I already called it!" There were several loud bangs and feet scampering across carpet as Hanabi and Neji scuffled. Hinata laughed. Her family was very odd at times.

While the other two were upstairs Hinata took a good look around the house.

It was just as she had expected. The rooms were quite large and very open. Just ahead of her, past the entry hall was the kitchen; clean, white linoleum shining in the sun. To the left was the living room with a large stone fireplace acting as the center piece. Just inside, Hinata could see the door to the spare guest bedroom. And at the foot of the stairs was a smaller room. An office, Hinata guessed seeing the oak desk just beyond the door. Her father would probably occupy that room. All of the walls were a bright white, the floors beautiful hardwood. Hinata liked it.

Laughter drifted into the entry from upstairs. Following it, Hinata found Neji and Hanabi still wrestling. "Hinata, save me!" Hanabi cried out through her laughter, Neji hovering over her. Their hands were clasped as the two pretended to grapple.

Hinata laughed at them. "Sorry Hanabi, but my hands are full," she lifted up the backpack in her hands. "Besides, you seem to have it under control."

"Hey!" Hanabi cried out. All three started laughing together.

_I think I'm going to like it here._

Eventually Neji and Hanabi decided to call a truce. Since they couldn't decide on who should have the bigger room, they all agreed that Hiashi would take it when he arrived. That left three more bedrooms on the top floor for them to choose from. The rooms were about equal in size so there was no more fighting from Neji and Hanabi.

Hinata wandered into each room until she decided on the last one. It was spacious with the same white walls and shiny wood floors as the rest of the house. The closet wasn't huge but Hinata didn't need that much closet space anyway. The one feature that really caught her eye though was the window. It was facing north, which let in the best light for drawing and painting and looked out over the edge of the forest in the backyard.

That was what surprised her the most. She knew that Konoha was known for its trees but she hadn't expected to find an entire forest in her backyard. They also had fewer neighbors than she had anticipated. There weren't many houses around and the ones that were, were spaced out pretty far.

Hinata set her backpack in a corner and began to empty it. First she pulled out her box of pastels, her small paint set and the half full sketch pad she always carried with her. Next came her books, the ones she read on the plane trip. The others would arrive with the movers. Finally she took out three picture frames, each wrapped in clothe to protect the glass. Hinata unwrapped them gently. The first picture was of Neji, Hanabi and herself. All three had their arms around each other, Neji slightly unwillingly, and smiling at the camera. The next was of her father, looking elegant and confident with his head held high. In Hinata's opinion it was the best picture her father had ever taken, because when looked at closely you could just make out his smile. The last picture was by far Hinata's most precious. It was of herself as young girl laughing and smiling in the arms of her mother. They were so happy in that picture and her mother was so beautiful. She hugged the frame to her chest tightly, wishing her mother was with her before setting it down with the others.

Hinata put her empty backpack in the closet and walked downstairs. She found Neji at the door talking with an older man dressed in a mover's uniform. The next two hours were spent sorting their belonging and bringing them inside. The most important task to complete was getting everyone's bed set up. The movers, taking pity on the poor kids stayed to help them. By the time they were finished and the movers had gone, it had started to get dark outside.

Hinata sat at the kitchen table with Hanabi and Neji. They were all too tired to talk over their dinner of toasted sandwiches. It had been a long day and they all needed rest. But Hinata felt fidgety. She looked back and forth between the bland looks on the faces of her sister and cousin. "So," she broke the silence. "When will father be arriving?"

Neji swallowed a bite of his sandwich. "He had some things to clear up with the elders so he would be getting in until late. We'll see him in the morning.

"Oh, I see." Hinata stared down at her plate glumly. "Damage control."

Neji gave her an exasperated look, but he didn't try to deny it.

"I thought you would be picking him up from the airport." Hanabi supplied in an attempt to ease the heavy silence.

"No," Neji said, "he told me not to come for him. He said he would just get a taxi."

"Oh." They all sat there, nibbling at their food. The rest of the dinner was spent in silence.

Hinata emerged from the bathroom and padded back to her room in her pajamas. She closed the door and switched off the light, letting the moon illuminate the walls. It had been a long day and it was well past midnight but Hinata wasn't ready to fall asleep, not quite yet.

Instead she leaned against her window and stared out over the forest.

_Hmm…Konoha, huh? _It seemed like a nice enough place even though she hadn't met anyone yet. Still she would have preferred to go back home. But Hinata knew she could never go back there. Not after the mess she made.

She vowed to herself that she would try her hardest to make this work, to make sure that her family wouldn't be forced to move again. And she would start now.

Hinata was just about to crawl into bed when she noticed some rustling in the trees outside. Quickly she pressed herself against the wall and peeked out the window.

A figure emerged from the trees, dressed in black. It was hard for Hinata to see but she thought that the person was a boy. His hair was as black as his clothes and he blended in so well with the night. If Hinata hadn't been looking closely, she would have missed him.

He raised his arm and moved it across his mouth as though he were wiping something away. Then two ghostly pale shapes appeared. His hands. He pulled the hood of his black sweatshirt over his head. He took a quick look behind him, making sure no one was looking. Hinata ducked away from the window quickly, then peeked back out when he hadn't seen her. She caught a flash of a pale face with an angular jaw line before the stranger pulled his hood on tighter and took off running down the street at an alarming pace.

Hinata backed away from the window and sat, perplexed, on the edge of her bed. What had just happened? She didn't like the idea that strangers were lurking in the woods behind her new house. Who knew what they were doing in there!

But Hinata only saw the one boy. She waited and watched for others but no one came. Either they were sleeping in the woods or the boy had been alone.

Hinata didn't want to think about the implications, so instead she got into bed and forced herself to sleep.

Hinata was woken to the sound of a car driving away. She checked her bedside clock. It was 2:30 in the morning. Slowly she got out of bed and crept out into the hall.

The front door opened and closed and something heavy was set on the floor. Hinata tiptoed over to the banister and looked down.

Her father was standing just below her in the dark. A heavy suitcase rested at his side. She heard him sigh and watched as he walked into the kitchen and flipped on the light.

Hinata went down a few steps to see him better. Hiashi was sitting at the table reading the note that Neji had left for him. He set the paper down and rubbed his temples. Pressing both hands over his eyes, Hiashi sighed again.

_He looks so tired, _Hinata thought. _It must have been worse than I had expected._

Her father stood from the table and headed to the stairs. Hinata hurried back into her own room before he saw her.

Laying back in bed, she heard the soft whisper of a door closing. Then the house was silent.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

xxxxx

Hinata must have fallen asleep at some point because she woke up the next morning tangled in her sheets. Her half-conscious mind was a jumble of facts and thoughts and pictures. So as she lay back on her bed she went through the exercises the old family doctor had taught her when she felt this way.

She began to recount basic facts and the events of the past day, slowly and in order from the simplest to the more complicated.

_My name is Hinata Hyuga. I am 16-years-old. My family has just moved to Konoha. It is Sunday morning. I will be starting at my new school tomorrow. And… _She half-sat up and looked at the boxes littering her floor. She flopped back down. _And I have a lot of unpacking to do._

Hinata dragged herself out of bed and over to the pile of cardboard boxes that had been stacked in a corner of her room. Sitting back on her shins Hinata started to pull them out one at a time.

She sorted the cartons into piles labeled Clothes, Books, Music, and Room Stuff to make it easier for when she actually started unpacking. She didn't have that many so it didn't take long for her to come upon the last box at the very back labeled Miscellaneous. Hinata dragged the box away from the others and set it in front of her. She tapped her fingers on the lid, unsure, before deciding to finally open it.

Strong scents wafted from the box, both floral and slightly acidic. Inside were brightly colored stones, jars of powders and liquids, and bunches of dried herbs. There were also pieces of chalk and a large dusty leather book. Beautiful gems winked up at her from the faces of several charms and talismans. She laid out some of the objects in front of her, feeling the rough edges of an amethyst crystal. Her tools of the trade. The tools that were to remain a secret from anyone outside of the family. They looked so harmless sprawled out prettily in front of her.

But it didn't matter how pretty they were. If someone, _anyone, _found out about them, her family's secret would be discovered and they would have to move again. Because no one wanted to share a town with a family of witches, no matter how nice they are.

Her name was called from downstairs. Hinata neatly returned the items to their box, closing the lid. Then quickly she jumped up and made her way downstairs.

She leaned over the railing to see Neji looking back up at her. His mouth was set in a hard line and he looked tired. "Your father wants to see you," was all he said before he walked back into the living room, disappearing behind a wall.

Uneasiness rolled in Hinata's stomach as she descended the staircase. What could her father want to talk to her about? Hiashi Hyuga had always been a good father, looking out for his family, but he was known to be quite stern and a little cold. Still, Hinata had to have known that this would be coming. After throwing on some clothes and brushing out her hair, she slowly headed downstairs.

The door to Hiashi's office was ajar but Hinata knocked anyway, gently pushing into the room and calling to him. Her father stood behind a large desk, his back to her. Books and papers littered the desk top, a cup of tea sat steaming in the middle of it all. It looked like Hinata wasn't the only one who needed to unpack, she thought distractedly as she spotted the cardboard boxes stacked against the wall.

When her father turned to her, Hinata was taken aback by how tired he looked. The shadows under his eyes stood out against his pale skin. His hair didn't have the usual sleek look to it and his clothes were slightly rumpled. He must have been up since early that morning. A sudden feeling of guilt washed over Hinata.

"Hinata," Hiashi sighed. He waved her over to the desk as he sat down in his leather chair. Closing the door quietly, Hinata stood in front of her father and waited.

"Yes Father?"

Hiashi rubbed his hand over his face. "Hinata, we need to discuss what happened in Suna."

Hinata's heart instantly dropped. She lowered herself into the chair beside her, across from her father. "Of course, Father."

The ticking of the wall clock sounded like earthquakes as the seconds slid by. Hiashi placed his elbows on the desk, resting his mouth against his laced fingers, then unlacing them and rubbing his face again and then lacing them once more. "Do you know how long it took me and the other elders to perform memory wiping spells on everyone who had been at the square that day?"

Hinata shook her head.

"Almost two days straight. Do you know how many cover stories we had to create for those people?"

Hinata said she didn't.

"Hundreds. Perhaps thousands. Hinata, do you…" He broke off in frustration. He started again, his calm attitude sounding almost forced. "I know that I don't have to explain to you that we are different, Hinata. We are not like most people. We are witches."

Hinata nodded.

"And as witches we are part of a very important race whose survival depends on secrecy. The Hyugas are known as the biggest, most powerful family of witches in our world. _We _set the example. _We _provide our kind with models of how a witch should behave. So how do you think it looked when one of our own nearly exposed our entire coven?"

Hinata couldn't answer. She couldn't even look at him.

Hiashi sighed again and walked towards his window, rubbing his temples. The bright sunlight only seemed to wash him out more. "Hinata, I know this wasn't your fault and you didn't mean for it to happen," he said softly. "But I thought you had your…_problem _under control."

So had Hinata. But the attack had been so sudden that there was no way she could have hidden herself in time. No way she could have prevented people from seeing what she truly was; a freak.

Because Hinata was different. And not just because she was a witch. Even as a witch she was something of a commodity. Hinata possessed a power not seen in a spell caster for hundreds of years; Hinata could see the future. Of course, all witches could see the future, but Hinata was different. A normal witch needed to perform a special incantation with herbs and powders and crystals in absolute ideal spell casting conditions. And even then they would only see a fuzzy shape or a few broken words. But not Hinata. Hinata had visions, images and scenes of the future that would appear in her head without any provocation. Though they were cryptic, they were clear. Sometimes she would see several items, clues she called them, or a scene from someone's future. The only trouble was that all of her premonitions were of bad things and they always came true. They also gave her a slight headache afterwards.

On that day in Suna, there had been a festival. It was a wonderful night, celebrating the founding of the city and every year a huge elaborate festival was set up in the city square. Everyone took part. It was the one event that Hinata looked forward to every year. She and her family would dress up, head into town and walk into the twinkling lights of the festival. Neji, Hinata and Hanabi would meet up with their friends and they would all go to the booths, playing games, going on rides and eating sweets. It was the most fun Hinata had all year.

She and her friends were at the ring toss booth when it happened. Hinata had not had a vision in so long that she let herself think she was becoming normal. But there was no warning when that vision came to her, no warning bells were ringing. She was in the middle of tossing a brightly colored ring, laughing with her friends when the pain struck, sharp and sudden to the back of her skull. It was like nothing she had ever felt before. Doubling over, Hinata fell to the ground, tears flowing down her cheeks, writhing and screaming in agony. Her friends just watched in horror.

The visions were cryptic as always but twice as horrific. It was dark, flashes of light illuminating faces, twisted and distorted as they screamed. And there was blood, so much blood. There was smoke and Hinata could feel herself choking on it. And she was falling, the ground rushing up to meet her at an alarming pace. Unable to contain the sights, her visions began to manifest themselves into words. "Falling," she cried, "no escape! Fast, so fast! Broken wings, 549, North 500 kilometers! Blood, help, Help, HELP!" A crowd had quickly formed around her, watching, whispering. Horrified, yet fascinated. Someone had called an ambulance, but other than that, no one moved to help her.

Soon, Hyugas were tearing through the crowd to get to her. Strong hands lifted her out of the dirt. Hinata looked up into the eyes of her father. She collapsed into his arms, sobbing hysterically as the last of the visions faded. He carefully led her away from the gaping onlookers as the rest of the coven swarmed the area to deal with the mess. Quickly she was loaded up into a van with her cousin and sister and they drove away to the compound, Neji never once letting go of her hand and Hinata more thankful for that than anything.

The next morning the remains of plane number 549 were found 500 kilometers north of the city square. The wings of the plane had fallen apart midflight. There were no survivors.

Hinata spent the rest of the day hiding in her house, ignoring the calls from her friends, the few who were still talking to her. That afternoon she and her family packed up and left for Konoha.

Since arriving in Konoha, that night had seemed like a messed-up dream. But now, sitting in her father's office, the reality of it all came rushing back. Hinata hung her head, trying to hide the tears she was failing to keep back.

Hiashi noticed the slight trembling of his daughter's shoulders. Something similar to guilt pushed against his heart. Slowly he moved to stand behind Hinata. She didn't look up when he hesitantly placed his hands on her shoulders in an attempt to soothe her. "I know it wasn't your fault, but…you _have _to try harder this time Hinata. If something happens here, then I don't know if the coven will forgive us as easily as before…I don't know what will become of us."

Hinata didn't move. Her hands were trembling so much. She gripped her skirt tightly to try and still them. She understood that her father meant well, but even when he tried to make her feel better he always only made it worse.

Wiping her eyes with the back of her hand, Hinata rose from the chair. She turned and bowed low to her father so he wouldn't see how red and puffy her eyes were. "Thank you, Father. You're right and I'm very sorry. I will try harder from now on." The words sounded hollow to her ears but she knew that they would make her father happy.

And she was right. He smiled approvingly at his daughter, patting her roughly on the shoulder, his idea of a fatherly gesture. "I'm very glad, Hinata. It's good we had this talk."

Hinata didn't say anything. Memories she had wanted to forget had been dredged back up, reopening wounds that hadn't had enough time to heal. Wordlessly she bowed to her father and slipped out of the office.

Somehow she was able to make it to the stairs without noticing Neji. He was sitting on the couch in the living room, staring blankly forward. Then their eyes met and they just looked at each other, Neji not moving from the couch, Hinata with her hand poised on the banister. He gave her a sympathetic look, but said nothing. That was fine with Hinata. He didn't want to ask and she didn't tell him. She didn't think she could bear the concern in his voice without crying. And if he had asked her about what had happened in the office, she would have lied. And he could always tell when she was lying. It just wasn't worth the effort and he knew that. So he stood up and walked back into the kitchen and they let it go.

Her feet made a _swoosh _sound as she ascended the carpeted stairs. The sunlight streaming through the window at the end of the hall seemed much brighter than it had when she woke up. Walking into her room, she closed the door, listening for the soft click. Then she leaned against the hard wood and stood there, surveying her room. Her eyes fell on the still open cardboard box, the twinkle of sunlight on glass bottles winking at her from over the edge of the box. She walked over and kicked it limply and ungracefully back into its corner. All she wanted was to climb back into bed and fall asleep. Perhaps the next time she woke up she could start the morning over again and everything would happen differently. Maybe she wouldn't be reminded of how horribly different she was and how much danger she had brought to everyone she loved. Perhaps she would be a different person altogether, someone better than weak, freak show Hinata Hyuga. In a desperate moment of hope she slid back into bed and pulled the covers over her head to block out the sunlight and went back to sleep. But when she woke up again the sun had sunken to the tree line and nothing had changed.


End file.
